Trump moves to redefine Air Force One with signature red, gold and blue overhaul

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is once again putting his personal stamp on one of America’s most iconic aircraft. 

In February 2026, it emerged that the president ordered the historic John F Kennedy-era paint scheme of the US Air Force presidential and VIP fleets to be replaced with a bolder palette he believes better reflects American strength.

The move effectively sidelines the light blue and white design that has defined Air Force One since the early 1960s, a look long associated with the Camelot era of the Kennedy presidency.

Trump pushes bold Air Force One redesign

According to reports, Trump wants the aircraft repainted in dark navy, deep red, and gold, a color combination closely aligned with his personal branding preferences.

The effort is not new. Shortly after returning to the Oval Office for his second term in January 2025, Trump signaled that he intended to revive the customization plan that had stalled during his first presidency.

Former President Joe Biden had previously scrapped the proposed redesign, citing concerns about costs and delays. Trump, however, made it clear the idea was far from dead.

“We want power blue, not baby blue,” Trump said last year. “Everything has its time and place. We’ll be changing the colors.”

Before his re-election, one adviser told Politico that the redesign was something Trump repeatedly highlighted to visitors in the Oval Office.

“The model was on the coffee table in the Oval Office, and he pointed it out many times to foreign and domestic visitors,” the adviser said. “He thought it represented America more and represented strength - the red, white, and blue.”

Kennedy’s iconic Air Force One design legacy

The current Air Force One color scheme carries deep historical roots. In 1962, President John F Kennedy worked with famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy, often called “the father of industrial design,” to create the now-iconic look.

Kennedy selected the light blue shade, reportedly his favorite color, with help from first lady Jackie Kennedy. The redesign was part of a broader effort to modernize the image of the American presidency on the world stage.

For decades, that soft blue-and-white palette became synonymous with presidential travel and American diplomacy. Trump’s planned overhaul marks one of the most significant visual departures from that legacy.

Trump expands White House, Kennedy Center overhaul

The aircraft redesign is just one piece of a wider aesthetic push by Trump during his second term.

The president has also launched a MAGA-themed revamp of the Kennedy Center. As part of the effort, a new sign reading “The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” has been installed at the venue. Trump has further announced plans to shutter the Kennedy Center for roughly two years to carry out what he described as a “complete rebuilding” of the existing structures.

Meanwhile, attention is also focused on a reported $400 million White House ballroom project that Trump has said he intends to name after himself. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously acknowledged that the ballroom is the commander in chief’s “main priority.”